The Dark Tower
by Gale Walker
Summary: Growing up, I always believed I would become the greatest Psychic-type trainer to ever exist. Little did I know, my destiny was going to be a little more Dark.
1. A Birthday Surprise?

First of many Author's Notes (because I really like those):

This is a story I began on another account while in college many, many moons ago.

The story revolves around my OC and his journey through a fictional timeline of the Kalos Region. This story is a no holds barred fan fiction; shit will get VERY heavy. So strap in, trainers, and enjoy the ride

* * *

Becoming a Pokemon trainer was in my blood, something I was very much destined to do. Both of my parents worked for the Anistar Gym as mentor trainers for the psychics there; sadly, none of us knew what, if any, of their psychic gifts I would inherit, as I was still too young for my powers to manifest.

Today, however, is my eleventh birthday, a time when most trainers begin their journeys towards becoming a Pokemon Master. It also means my parents are _finally_ going to give me my very first Pokemon, something they decided on my tenth birthday last year. I've dropped many, many not-so-subtle hints that I wanted a Ralts; I've idolized Diantha, our current Champion, ever since she first debuted on film.

"Happy birthday, son!" My father greeted me at the bottom of the staircase with a gigantic hug. My mother chimed in after, followed by the rest of the psychics in the Gym. We were all one giant family, and it was tradition for Olympia to present new trainers with their first Pokemon before they head out on their journey.

The celebration was fun and sappy, all of my friends saying goodbye and my parents doting about how proud they were of me, and then finally Olympia cleared her throat.

"I think it's time we all present our little fledgling with his new Pokemon! Wouldn't you all agree?"

The Gym roared loudly, the clockwork floor dialing into noon. A Pokeball floated down from golden columns of the giant dome, landing softly in my open palms, which were now sweating in excitement.

I looked at my parents, who smiled next to me. They nodded their approval and I looked down at my Pokemon, ready to meet what I knew in my heart to be my very own Ralts.

Everyone cleared the floor and I prepared myself.

"Let's go! Pokemon!" I tossed the ball upward, a burst of silver light flooding down onto the floor by my feet. And all at once, everything went silent.

Because rather than looking at a Ralts, my eyes met the sharp, curious gaze of a baby Sneasel.


	2. Itachi

"But mom!" I was pacing back and forth in my bedroom, the little Sneasel perched on top of my desk like a Glameow.

"Honey, we understand what you feel, I do. But what would you suggest we do? Turn down the Pokémon Olympia gifted you? Don't you think that would be rude of us to do? And how would your Sneasel feel about that?"

The Pokémon cocked it's head to the side curiously and let out a little cry, obviously understanding what was going on. I suddenly felt really terrible for reacting how I did.

"Maybe it was a mistake?" I stammered. "I know Olympia gifts us our starters based on her visions. But she's NEVER gifted a Dark-type Pokémon before! There has to be some kind of mistake!"

My mom opened her mouth to respond, but there was a sudden, soft knock at my door. It creaked open and a bit of bright purple hair creeped in.

"May I come in?" the Gym Leader cooed softly. With a silent, she entered my room, the Sneasel excitedly jumping on her shoulder. Clearly, the Pokémon was pretty fond of her. I was a little surprised. How long has she had this planned for me?

"I know you're confused and maybe a little disappointed, little one," Olympia said sweetly, taking a seat next to me on my bed. "I remember when you were a little boy, you came up to me after one of my battles- jumped right out of the stands- and proclaimed to me that you would be the greatest Psychic-type trainer in Kalos! Do you remember what I told you then?"

I nodded, the memory flashing in my mind clearly. "You told me to trust the Stars in the Heavens and that I'll become the person I was meant to be."

Olympia and my mother both smiled. "Exactly, little one," she said, sweeping my hair out from over my eye. She stood up and walked across the room, looking out of my window thoughtfully. "A few years after that day, I received a message from the Universe. And it told me that fate would lead you to a brand new path, carved alongside this very Pokémon right here." She gave the Sneasel a little pet on it's cheek.

"Believe in your future. Trust in your fate. Walk alongside your new partner and you will soon discover a world in which you would have never dreamed of."

My mother gave me a knowing gaze. My parents probably knew about this vision a long time ago and decided not to tell me. I realized then that Olympia did not give me this Sneasel lightly; clearly, I needed to take this seriously.

"Can't you tell me what your vision was? Maybe it would help knowing _why_ I have to put faith in a Dark-type." It wasn't that I hated Dark-types, but I was always raised to fear them. They're full of trickery and deceit and dishonor. It's how they thrive and it goes against everything Psychic-trainers stand for.

Olympia closed her eyes. "Sweet child, you know from the teachings that visions must not be shared. The future is a fragile thing; it is not our place to direct it and to mold it to our wills. It is enough simply to trust that the gears we set into motion will lead us to what we need."

I sighed, and looked at the Sneasel. My Sneasel. He looked at me with glistening eyes, and I knew what I needed to do.

I walked up to him and crouched down, putting my chin on top of my folded arms. My mother and Olympia looked at us silently, and we sat there for a while, staring into each other's eyes until finally, I reached out my hand.

"Let's find our future together, Tachi."

The Sneasel cried out excitedly, lifting its claw into my palm.

And that's how I got Itachi, my very first Pokémon.


	3. Icy Winds and Acrobatics

Hey there! Good News and then Great News

Good News: I bought a new laptop! After months of doing everything on my phone (my eyes hate me for it, trust me), I finally saved up for a new laptop.

Great News: This means I can update this story regularly now! And I'll also be writing much longer chapters here on out. Pretty stoked to take this story and actually create what I envisioned for it. Thank you all for coming along for the ride!

-.-.-

This was proving to be harder than I thought.

Our journey started out fairly good. Our first goal was to get to Dendemille Town, and to do that we needed to pass through Route 17. Tachi felt right at home here; the little thing constantly scurrying across the ice and dancing in the snow. I get it was pretty convenient that he was part Ice-type, except for the fact that he could handle the cold a lot better than I could.

One issue, though, is that Tachi didn't know how to listen.

"Tachi! Get DOWN from there!" On top of a barren tree was my Pokémon, completely ignoring me and playing around. Even in battle, Tachi had a problem with following my commands; he was very much a free-spirited creature. Luckily, it hadn't cost us any battles, but we've also been lucky that in the last two weeks we haven't encountered any other trainers. Soon, though, that luck was going to run out.

Eventually, Tachi got tired of playing and climbed down from the tree, perching himself on my shoulder and burrowing his face in the fur of my hood.

"Oh, now you want to be cute? Go figure." He purred in response. I guess he _was_ cute . . . when we behaved himself. We walked like this for a few hours, avoiding the super-snowy parts of the trail and trying our best to climb over the giant, icy rocks. At long last, I saw a huge sign for Dendemille Town. _Ten Miles,_ I read. Thank God. Camping out in this cold was getting really old really quickly, although I doubt Tachi minded very much. I just really miss sleeping in a bed, and I've learned that I'm not very fond of Mamoswines.

Suddenly, an eerie feeling washed over me; I felt like I was being watched. Tachi sensed it, too, and I felt his body tense up against my neck.

"Hey!" A voice called out, echoing over the icy plain. I knew what was coming next, the moment I've been bracing myself for.

A trainer leaped down from atop a canyon- was she _flying?_\- and landed squarely in front of me. I was trapped, and Tachi jumped out in front of me. We were about to have our very first trainer battle.

Without even speaking, the trainer threw her Pokéball into the air, a little flying squirrel jumping out and gliding around the sky. "Rikki, Quick Attack, let's go!" The little squirrel suddenly disappeared. Tachi, clearly confused, was scanning the area trying to find it when it reappeared behind him, slamming Tachi and knocking him forward.

"Nee!" he cried out, flipping in midair and landing on his feet. He was stunned, but he recovered swiftly.

"Good job, Tachi! Use Icy-"

The Sneasel ignored me, shifting slightly before sprinting towards the squirrel. It was strange to watch; it was almost as if Tachi were fading in and out of existence, catching up to the squirrel with a blurred motion.

"Rikki, watch out, he's using Pursuit! Dodge!" The words were shouted in vain. As soon as Rikki realized what was happening, Tachi's figure became solid, slamming his claw downward. The impact slammed his opponent into the ground.

"Yeah!" I yelled out, making eye contact with my opponent. The joy quickly went away, however, when I noticed her smirking. I glanced over at Tachi, expecting to see it celebrating the direct hit. Instead, I noticed his muscles tensing up, his fur standing on-edge like tiny black pins.

"Don't celebrate so soon, young man," my opponent called out to me. "You may have caused some damage, but Rikki's Static left your Sneasel paralyzed!"

_Oh shit!_ I hadn't even thought about that. And I suppose Tachi didn't either.

"Rikki, get up and use Acrobatics!" The squirrel leaped upwards, fluttering around the air before nose diving towards Tachi.

"Tachi, dodge it!" Tachi went to move but tensed up, the paralysis hitting him again. Rikki slammed into him, sending him flying as he cried out. He struggled, but after a few moments he stood back up. This battle was almost over for him.

"Acrobatics is a Flying _and_ Fighting-type move. One more hit from that and your Sneasel is down for the count."

_Fighting?! _I panicked; Tachi has a double-weakness to Fighting moves. I'm lucky he managed to survive that hit at all. She was right; one more hit and it's all over for him. I need to think of something and I need to think quickly.

"Tachi! I need you to listen to me, please-"

"Rikki, let's end this. Acrobatics-"

"Curl up into a ball and blow Icy Wind! NOW!"

Tachi nodded and proceed to curl up. The opponent looked confused but Rikki continued to dive towards him. _Closer,_ I thought. _Just a few more seconds, Tachi._

"It's over-"

"Tachi, quickly! Jumped straight up and use Quick Attack!"

In one motion, Sneasel leaped upward, his Quick Attack overpowering his paralysis. They collided in mid-air, sending each other flying across the field, landing in two puffs of icy dust.

A few seconds passed and I held my breath, the dust finally settling. The two Pokémon were standing, staring at each other intensely. After a few beats of silence, the opponent's Pokémon collapsed.

Tachi looked back at me, nodding with a little grin on his face. I ran forward, scooped him up, and gave him the biggest hug possible.

"Rikki, return," my opponent called out, the little laser sending her Pokémon back to its ball. "You did good, Rikki. Thank you for the great fight." She walked over, handing me a little pile of money and gave me a smile. "Your Sneasel is extremely strong. You should be very proud of him." She gave Tachi a little pat on his head and he gave a little pur in response, still clearly distressed from the Static.

"Thank you! I'm just glad he finally listened to me, haha!" Tachi teased me back with a little whimper. "Your Rikki was phenomenal. What kind of Pokémon is he?"

"Oh! He's an Emolga. Not terribly common around these parts, but he works real hard for me." She reached in her pocket and handed me a little spray bottle. "This is for your Sneasel. It'll help with the paralysis. You take care now, young man."

She walked away towards Dendemille Town, my destination. I was tempted to travel with her there, but I figured Tachi would prefer us continue this Route alone. I looked down at him in my arms. The spray worked quickly and now he was fast asleep, curled up comfortably in the crook of my elbow.

Maybe this journey wouldn't be so bad, after all.


	4. Into The Woods

"Wigglyyyyyy!"

Upon arriving in Dendemille Town, the first stop we made was to the Pokémon Center. We were greeted with the cute call of Nurse Joy's Wigglytuff. Tachi was still exhausted from his battle, so I needed to make sure he was okay before we explored the town any further.

"Hello there," Nurse Joy chimed when we walked up to the counter. "How can we help you today?"

"Nurse Joy, it's my Sneasel, Tachi. He got beat up pretty badly on Route 17 and I didn't have any more potions left in my bag. I got him here as soon as I could." I went to lay Tachi down on the counter, but he clung to my jacket sleeve. Nurse Joy looked at him with a worried face.

"Wigglytuff, use Sing and take Sneasel to the Recovery Room." Wigglytuff nodded, leaned in, and began singing softly to Tachi. He instantly went limp in my arms and I handed him to the Wigglytuff. After they entered the back, Nurse Joy turned to me.

"How old is Tachi?" she inquired.

"Uh, hmm. I'm not sure, really. He was gifted to me by Olympia, I didn't catch him in the wild."

Nurse Joy nodded and without another word, went in the back with Wigglytuff. The operation light came on and I paced around for a while before having a seat across from the television. I scrolled through the channels mindlessly before something caught my eye. I turned up the volume.

". . . and that makes three confirmed trainers gone missing in the last two months. Detectives have yet to confirm whether or not they believe these cases to be connected. They urge the public to take caution and to be on the lookout for any evidence leading to the whereabouts of these missing trainers." Three photos appeared on the screen. "Again, those names are

Inori Tatsumi . . ."

I remembered my parents talking about this in hushed voices with some of the other Gym Trainers. A few of them were considering holding off on letting their kids get their Trainer's Licenses until the disappearances were solved, but since it was only two, my parents decided to let me get it. But now it's a third . . .

A low chime resounded throughout the lobby and I shot up from the chair. _Tachi!_ I sprinted to the doors where I was met with little cry of excitement from my partner. Tachi leaped up into my arms and I lifted him into the air. It was like he wasn't injured at all.

Nurse Joy gave me a soft smile. "Your Tachi will be perfectly fine. He's healed up nicely and made a full recovery." Her voice suddenly got more serious. "There is something I would like to discuss, however."

Ice ran over my skin. I didn't like the sound of that. "Is there something wrong with him?" She could sense the panic in my voice and replied soothingly.

"No, there's nothing wrong, per say. But we ran some tests on Tachi and it's as I suspected. Tachi is not a baby Sneasel; in fact, I would say he hatched from his egg a little under a year ago."

My eyes widened. "A year?! But he's so, so-"

"-small." Nurse joy continued. "Yes, Itachi has a very rare condition where his growth is stunted. He will eventually reach a bigger size, but he'll never be as big or develop as much muscle mass as a typical Sneasel." She lifted her hand to give Sneasel a little pet on his ear. "But Tachi is quite healthy, otherwise. And his claws are very, very sharp. Whoever took care of him prior to gifting him to you took very good care of him. You should be very thankful. Just, for the time being, I would recommend catching another Pokémon soon. Sneasel won't be able to handle a long string of battles by himself without putting an immense strain on his body. He'll need a teammate to share that responsibility."

Tachi purred in my arms. It's amazing how connected I felt to him so quickly. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would care this much for a Dark-type Pokémon. But now, I'm worried that I pushed him too hard these last few weeks.

I nodded to her in agreement. "I'll go catch another Pokemon as soon as I can. Thank you so much for all of your help, Nurse Joy. And to you, too, Wigglytuff. I'll take great care of Tachi, don't worry."

-.-.-

Catching another Pokémon was not proving to be an easy task. Three weeks later, and Itachi was flat out rejecting any prospects to a teammate. Any time I would even reach for a Pokéball, he would either knock it out of my hand or purposefully faint the Pokémon before I could throw it. I could always return him to his ball and then catch it, but then I worry he would feel betrayed. And if I'm going to add a member to this team, I wanted Itachi to be supportive of it.

Route 15 was . . . spooky, to say the least. Whenever we would take trips through here as a family, my parents never let me out of their sights. The legend was that that wandering children would never make it out of the forest's thick canopy, disappearing forever and never being seen again. No one could really confirm this to be true, but my parents felt it was best not to test this theory.

The sun was starting to set, but luckily we entered a small clearing filled with golden leaves, so I decided to set up camp for the night and start a fire. Tachi went out to gather wood while I pitched our tent. The great thing about traveling through the woods is that the ground is soft, much better for sleeping than the ice on Mamoswine Road. The air here was cool and crisp but not as sharp as the blizzards I was used to. It was strange, though. The air in the forest almost felt . . . empty.

_Where are you, Tachi?_ Everything was still, and I heard the sounds of the brook passing through the trees. It was getting darker fast, and I needed to get the fire started as soon as possible or we'd be fumbling through the night.

"Taaacchhhiiii! ITACHI! Where are ya, buddy?!" I called out, walking a little into the trees towards where Tachi went. I called out some more, circling around the clearing and shouting louder and louder. Nothing.

_Shit shit shit_

I sprinted through the trees, shouting Tachi's name, stumbling over the darkness. The light was barely passing through the canopy, and my eyes were having trouble adjusting to the near-pitch black darkness. I turned around and with a gasp of air, I realized that I ran further than what I thought. I could no longer see the clearing, unable to remember what direction I came from.

I was lost in the woods. And I had no idea how to get out.


	5. The Haunted Hilltop

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but what I do know is that being trapped in the woods at night makes you lose all sense of time and direction. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but it only helped so much. All of my equipment was back at the campsite so I couldn't call anyone for help.

After what felt like hours of stumbling through the trees, I heard something rustling in a nearby bush and I froze. Whatever it was, I was almost certain it knew I was there. I slowly began to walk backwards, careful not to make any sudden movements. Hopefully, whatever it was thought I was already gone-

_*crack* _A branch snapped under the weight of my foot; a lot happened in those next few moments.

The sound shocked me and I tripped over, falling to the ground with a loud thud. A black figure shot out of the bushes, heading directly towards me. _This is the end_, I thought, accepting that whatever it was was out to get me. _So long, Tachi_.

Right before impact, however, the figure swooped upward, circling around above me and letting out a few loud caws. It was a Murkrow, and it obviously wanted something. I remember reading about them before, how wild Murkrows tended to travel in flocks, so it was strange seeing this one by itself. It looked down, slowly spiraling towards me before gently landing next to my shoulder. We made eye contact for a brief moment before it began pecking me.

"Ow!" I yelped, although more so from surprise since the pecks didn't hurt all too much. It almost felt as though it were trying to nudge me. I got back on my feet and it followed suit, flapping its wings furiously as it tugged on my sleeve. Did it want me to follow it? I don't know much about Murkrows, but I know seeing one at night is bad luck. Was this really a Pokémon I could trust? It's not like I had any other options . . .

So I followed it. It weaved through the trees, cawing at me every so often to keep up. The trees were starting to thin out, more light poking through the canopy as it started to drizzle softly. _Great_, I thought sarcastically, the sound of thunder booming towards me in the distance. I was exhausted but I kept going, silently praying that I wasn't being led to my own doom.

-.-.-

Itachi roamed through the thicket, slicing up bushes and gathering up their branches, stopping every now and then to search for Pidgey eggs. His Trainer has told him to get firewood, but didn't tell him he couldn't do a little exploring of his own! Putting his bundle of branches down, he climbed a tree, certain he heard the soft coo of a Pidgey nearby. And where there's Pidgeys, there's Pidgey eggs.

When he reached the top, he walked across the branches, keeping his eyes out for any signs of a nest. Careful not to make his presence known to the birds, he gently crawled without breathing. After slowly moving his way to the other side, he gently moved a group of leaves, exposing a nest full of Pidgey eggs. He excitedly cried out- too excitedly. Without thinking, Itachi put too much weight on his feet and the tree branch began to snap. Before he realized what was happening, the branch cracked in half and he was falling, landing on the ground with a giant thud.

Stunned but otherwise okay, Itachi rubbed his eyes and looked up. The nest laid a few feet in front of him, it's eggs cracked all over the ground. Itachi let out a soft growl, mad he spoiled what would otherwise have been a great snack when suddenly, in the distance, he noticed a soft, blue glow. Curious as to what it was, he began walking towards it. No matter how far he walked, however, the glow never appeared to get closer. Frustrated, Itachi began to sprint toward it, determined to catch the little light until it disappeared in front of his eyes.

Now Itachi began to worry; he abandoned his Trainer in pursuit of this glow and now he was stuck in the woods, alone and very hungry. Not sure what to do, Itachi kept walking forward, hoping to either find his Trainer or happen upon a nest where he could find something to eat.

After a while of wandering aimlessly, Itachi was about to give up and just nustle against a tree for the night when he noticed, in the distance, the glow again. He felt as though it were pulling him, beckoning him to chase it and without even thinking, the Sneasel pursued it. The glow began to dance around the trees, calling for Itachi to catch it. The little Pokémon followed suit, weaving in and out of the thicket in order to catch it, whatever _it_ was. Eventually, the glow came to a stop, and Itachi pounced onto it, grabbing it in his claws. After gleefully cheering at finally capturing the mysterious thing, he opened his claws to see that it had yet again disappeared into thin air.

Confused, Itachi looked around quickly and noticed that he was no longer in the woods; in front of him was a gigantic hill, with a tall, ruined building resting on its peak. Terrified, it suddenly dawned on Itachi that he was very much alone in the middle of nowhere. As rain began to fall on his head, Itachi decided to set out for the building, in hopes that someone might be there to help him find his Trainer.

-.-.-

"Whoa."

I was standing at the bottom of a hill, the Murkrow now flying towards what appeared to be an abandoned building. The rain began to fall down harder, and under the light of the moon I made my way towards it.

It was obvious from the way he was cawing that this building was the bird's destination, though I couldn't fathom why he wanted me here so badly. _What are you bringing me here for, Murkrow?_ I made my way to the entrance, the hillside slick with mud from the downpour. The Murkrow, who was now perched at the side of the condemned doorway, gave one last caw before flying away. I gave it one final look before opening the door and stepping into the building.

-.-.-

Walking through the dank, cavernous hallways, I realized that in a former life this must have been a hotel of some sort; there were countless rooms scattered across the building. Dust ran thick over everything, the smell of mildew filling the stagnant air. I crept across the water-logged floor, careful to avoid the spots that didn't look sturdy. I didn't know what I was searching for, exactly, but there had to be a reason I was brought here and I was determined to find it.

After a while of searching through all the rooms on the first floor, I arrived back in the lobby and noticed a small doorway behind the front counter. I opened it, revealing a small staircase leading down to the basement. I had a bad feeling about what was down there, but as I started to close the door, I heard a faint sound; faint, but familiar.

_Tachi!_

There was no mistaking it. Without thinking twice, I began descending the staircase, the faint cry of Tachi growing louder and louder. I made it to the bottom of the stairs and ran through the archway before entering a room filled with blue fire. _What the hell?_ I scanned the room; it looked like a gigantic battlefield, with floating orbs of blue fire dancing around the open space. After a few moments in awe, I noticed my Sneasel in the center of the battlefield and I sprinted towards him.

Suddenly, after only a few steps, the flames assembled around me, creating a ring of blue fire and trapping me. The fire became intense; my eyes could hardly stay open from the heat it radiated. I needed to figure out what was causing this.

A moment after that thought crossed my mind, a gigantic chandelier descended from the ceiling. It was massive, and upon closer inspection, I realized that it had eyes- eyes that were fixated on Itachi. _Is this a Pokémon?! _The circle of flames that surrounded me began to close in, herding me further away from my Sneasel. I didn't know how to escape, but I had to do something.

Itachi snarled at the giant creature, letting out a cry for help before suddenly becoming silent and limp. The chandelier approached Itachi slowly, almost like a hunter sneaking after his prey. I didn't know what else to do so I yelled out for help.

Through the doorway I heard a cry in response before a Murkrow- _the_ Murkrow- flew into the room, followed closely by a few other Pokémon. I recognized one as another Dark-type, the purple feline Pokémon Liepard.

"Please help us! That thing is going after Tachi!" Murkrow nodded in response as the creature turned around, noticing the approaching group and shooting out a stream of fire. The Murkrow dodged, letting out a loud caw. The floor began to shake and a giant crocodile leaped out of the ground, slamming into the creature as it floated upward. Its body began to glow bright purple but nothing happened; whatever it tried wasn't working, and it clearly began to get nervous.

From the canopy seats above, another Pokémon leapt onto the creature, slicing it with its bladed arms. The Liepard shot a sharp beam of darkness towards it; they took it down and a massive amount of debris flew across the battlefield. The flames that surrounded me crackled out of existence; I made a beeline for Tachi and scooped him up into my arms, his body still limp as the dust began to settle. After a few seconds of eerie silence, Tachi's ear began to twitch and he opened his eyes.

"Tachi, it's gonna be okay, buddy. You're safe now." My voice started cracking as I held back tears. Itachi gave me a confused stare before his eyes lit up, his face burrowing into my chest. We sat there, reunited after the longest night of our lives, and cried together in pure relief. I was so distracted, I hadn't even noticed the footsteps approaching me until a hand landed on my shoulder.

I jumped in surprise, the sudden touch sending a jolt of fear through my body. I looked up to see a pale, thin man chuckling.

"My apologies, young man. I didn't mean to scare you" The man bowed low to me, lifting up his face with a sincere smile. At his side sat the three Pokémon who took the creature down. They all had a similar smile on, clearly trying their best to comfort us after the ordeal. "What you saw just now was a rogue Chandelure," the man continued, gracefully lifting his body back up and gesturing towards the figure, who now lay motionless. His accent was thick, one I had never heard before. "I've heard rumours of disappearances taking place along this route for quite some time now, so I decided to investigate. Luckily, it seems I made it here just in time. You can thank the Murkrow for that."

"The Murkrow?" I replied, clearly confused. "So he brought you here, too?"

The man nodded sorrowfully. "Yes, though I'm afraid to say that his friends were not as lucky as he was." The Murkrow flew back down, landing on the man's shoulders. "We found the bodies of four Murkrow and Honchkrow in another room. It seems they all fell victim to the Chandelure after this one here escaped." The Murkrow let out a cry of despair, visibly upset at its lost comrades. I looked down at Tachi, silently thanking the Universe that he was kept safe.

"Anyhow, the Sun will be rising soon. Let me take you out of here and I'll explain everything to you." The man reached out his hand and pulled me up. Thankfully, it seemed like this night was finally over.


End file.
